Hurry Up and Save Me
by BrokenButStillStanding
Summary: Nami is tired of people getting hurt for her, Zoro makes a mistake and now Nami is in trouble, all she wants is to go home. But there is only so much you can take before you break. May be triggering. Do not ready if violence, threat of violence or physical intimacy bothers you. M for a reason. I do not own One Piece.
1. Chapter 1

Zoro felt like punching a wall, every inch of him built of pure frustration

"Let me get this straight, you are upset with me...because I saved your life..." He tried to make sense of the wrath of his orange haired companion. Nami ran her fingers through her hair as she let out a huff of aggravation.

"I didn't need your help!" She argued.

"Like hell you didn't need my help" he scoffed, crossing his arms defensively.

When he had walked out of the bar he and the other members of the crew were in the process of drinking dry he had heard shouting from behind a nearby building. He wasn't sure where he thought Nami had gone, now that he thinks about it he should have been worried when she didn't show up for the drinking contest. The crew had assumed she had gone shopping or was in the process of conning a young man out of his wages for the week. When he turned the corner to see five men surrounding the ship navigator he stopped short, two were holding her arms at a painful angle as a third rifled through her belongings in search of anything of value. The fourth was busy trying to cover the woman's mouth to prevent any more ruckus and the fifth had a rather dangerous looking knife pressed to her throat. Nami had gone still, the cold steel against her neck jarring her into silence. From what Zoro could tell she had put up quite a fight based on the level of destruction around the area. The swordsman snapped to attention as he felt the familiar clenching in his gut that he feels before every battle, he barely had time to draw one sword before the leader of the small group decided they had no more use for the navigator, who was thrashing around as the knife blade whistled through the sir to deliver the final blow, before it could make contact a clang sounded throughout the quiet night.

"Bad idea" Zoro growled as he leapt into action, slicing and slashing his blades until every last thug lay dead at his feet. It was a rather common routine for the two, Nami would get caught up in some trouble, Zoro would leap to her defense, she would thank him, and they would move on. But tonight was different. Instead of being grateful that she still had her life she stomped over to the large man and punched him as hard as she could, ignoring her split knuckles. This lead to the argument the two pirates were currently having at an escalating volume,

"I don't need you to always jump to my defense, Zoro! I had it under control!" The feisty spitfire yelled

"You would be dead if I hadn't intervened! What was I supposed to do!? Just leave you there!?" Zoro argued back in a booming voice

"YES" she shrieked. Silence echoed through the empty street as Zoro tried to process her words

"What- are you- do you want to die? Nami what the hell!" He said in a lower tone, concern etched into every feature. The woman sighed and leaned against the brick wall she had been pinned against only minutes before.

"It's not that I want to die" she amended, much to the swordsman's relief.

"Every single time I'm in trouble you save me Zoro. I just- it's humiliating! I refuse to be the weak link anymore!" She expressed

"Weak?" Zoro questioned, he was never good with words and his frustration with Nami wasn't helping the words come easier

"Nami I- Nami I don't save you because I think you are weak. I save you because I am the one who is weak" he sighs, not meeting her gaze

"What? That doesn't make any sense" Nami exclaimed, about to go on another spiel

"Just shut up and listen for a minute!" Zoro said "every person I've ever cared about is dead, Nami. Every single one. I know you can take care of yourself I've seen proof, I just... I can't lose anyone else do you get it? I can't lose you, I can't lose Luffy, hell I can't even lose Sanji! So don't ask me to sit by and watch you try to prove a point that's already been proven because I won't" he said, voice full of grief.

The silence returned, for a longer time this time. Zoro started to grow nervous and was about to storm off when he felt two arms wrap around his neck. The swordsman stiffened before awkwardly placing an arm on the back of his companion who had leaped at him. After what seemed like a long time she pulled away, Zoro pretended like he didn't notice the fact that her eyes were watery. There was another long moment of silence,

"Thanks" Nami whispered, it was so soft Zoro almost missed it as his companion turned around and began to walk back to the ship.

...

When Nami was about half a mile from the ship she stopped in her tracks and cursed loudly. In her haste she hadn't realized shed left her bag in the alley. Normally she would go back for it in the morning, but she had her mapping equipment in her bag and she just wasn't willing to take that risk. With a grumble she kicked a pebble as far as she could and pivoted to head the other way once more. Along the half hour walk she began to think of the situation that had just occurred, to say she was shocked to hear Zoro's confession was an understatement. The redhead had always seen Zoro as this sort of silent and uncaring type, passionate but easily irritated when it came to having to save her. She had never considered the fact that he might be worried, or dare she say scared even, about losing her (or any of the crew she supposed). She was so wrapped up in her thoughts she didn't notice a shadow following her at a distance until it was too late.

Before Nami had time to scream a hand reached around her to grasp her waist and another covered her mouth with a wet rag, with a feeling of dread the navigator squirmed as hard as she could in the vice like embrace before it all went dark.

...

He had been watching the two of them for quite some time now. Well, he'd been watching Zoro. It just so happened she provided the perfect means for him to get what he wanted. The strange man tapped the windowsill of the dusty apartment as he waited impatiently for his captive to wake up. What he needed was to get the swordsman alone, and what better way to do it than with a little blackmail? A smirk twitched at the side of his lips as he stared expectantly out of the window, awaiting the arrival of his target. He had half a mind to kill the girl anyways, her bounty was high enough as it was, but his contract had been on the swordsman's head. And besides, where's the fun in that? The dark haired man chuckled darkly, he wasn't expecting this fight to be easy. Quite the contrary in fact, the more riled up the pirate was the better. He hadn't had a good fight in quite some time, and he was always one to take a little risk to spice up life. And what better spice than a fight with one of the best swordsmen in the world? Yes, the angrier his opponent was the more interesting of a fight it would be. He snapped his head to the side as he heard a soft groan from the redhead that was currently shackled to the wall of the apartment, she rolled her head from side to side and fogging opened her eyes in confusion. As soon as she realized the predicament she was in she snapped awake, eyes meeting his immediately. The woman jutted her chin out defiantly, analyzing him before speaking in a somewhat croaky voice.

"I don't know what the hell you want from me but you aren't going to get it" she hissed, living up to the cat part of cat burglar. The man rolled his eyes

"Don't be so self absorbed, I don't want anything from you" he spoke, rolling his eyes. The navigator looked suspiciously at him before trying again,

"Okay. Then why the hell am I here" she spat, obviously not very happy. The man let out a sigh from behind the bandana covering his mouth.

"Will you shut your mouth woman, or else I will find something better for you to do with it" he threatened. The woman looked nervous for a split second before adopting the same defiant look she wore earlier, although she did stop talking. As he studied her face he thought back on the conversation he had overheard between the two shipmates, a grin spread across his face as an idea sparked in his head. He knew exactly how to trigger the response he wanted from the swordsman.

"As a matter of a fact, why don't we test out my idea" he said, moving closer to the woman and sliding his knife under her shirt as he began to cut the fabric apart.

This was going to be the most intense fight he'd ever had.


	2. Chapter 2

Zoro was tapping his foot anxiously on board the deck of the ship as he leaned on the railing and peered towards the town. Nami had left before he did, she should be back by now. He forced himself to take a deep breath, not sure why he was getting so worked up over her sudden disappearance, it wasn't uncommon for her to stop by a bar before returning to the ship.

"Hey Zoro!" His lighthearted Captain called out to him "what's got you so worked up?!"

Zoro scowled "I'm not worked up. It's just that Nami isn't back yet and we leave in a few hours"

His Captain let out his trademark laugh, Usopp speaking, well more like yelling, across the ship to Soro

"We won't leave without her! But if you really want to, you can go out to look for her! Besides, I think she has watch tonight. She lost the poker game!"

Zoro grunted, sighing in slight irritation. Leave it to that witch to interrupt what should have been a restful sleep with a pile of trouble.

"I think you should go look for her Swordsman-San" a calm voice sounded behind him. Robin had emerged from the ship to join in on the conversation regarding their missing crew member.

"They aren't worried but I am, and I think you are too. She never stays out past 11. She knows better, especially in a town like this" she reasoned, unknowingly causing Zoro's heart to skip a beat at the thought of something happening to her. He would feel just as concerned about anyone on the crew, at least thats what he told himself.

He sighed and straightened up, checking to make sure his swords were with him before disembarking the ship and heading for the nearest bar.

When he got there a few late night stragglers that weren't passed out gave him a quick inebriated glance before hiccuping and returning to their mug. Zoro clanked over to the bartender

"Have you seen a redhead around here? Short? Wearing a striped shirt? Tattoo on her arm?" He inquired, adding on as he recalled what Nami had on that day (with what little details he remembered).

"No, I'm sorry." The bartender said with a sad smile, Zoro frowned in frustration and turned to leave before an arm blocked him from the door

"Say, *hic* you wouldn't happentabe *hic* that rozoronora guy?m*hic* I mean rorozoro *hic* ronoazo *hic*..." The drunkard tried to make out

"Roronoa Zoro" Zoro finished for him

"That's the one!" The patron yelled in glee "this guy earlier said if *hic*'if we see ya we gotta *hic* give this to ya"

Zoro was handed a folded letter with beer stains tainting the corners, with a harsh sigh he opened it, just wanting t find Nami and get out of here. As he read he could feel blood rushing to his head, dropping the note he stormed out the door. It floated down and landed open faced on the floor

"Come to the Withani apartment complexes or she loses her head. Come alone."

...

The mystery man tried to contain a laugh at the look of poorly contained terror on the woman's face. Truth be told he had no intention of carrying out his previous threat, but the thought of how angry it would make his opponent made the sick man giddy. While he waited for the swordsman to arrive he had removed the redheads shirt and skirt before cutting through one of her bra straps and nicking her collarbone with his knife so her blood slowly dribbled down into the crevices of her chest. He sat back on his heels, admiring his handy work when he heard a loud bang on the door as it flew open in the other room. With a grin the man stood and swiftly cloaked himself in the shadows the corner provided, now was the satisfying game of cat and mouse he had been waiting for. To wave the red flag in front of the bulls face as his employer would joke. He heard the heavy footsteps of the former pirate hunter hit the ground as he slowly made his way into his trap. The door to the room creaked open and with a curse the swordsman made his way directly over to his comrade just as suspected. Now it was time to play.


	3. Chapter 3

Zoro tried his best not to lose his way to the complex, his mind already imagining all the different mangled ways he could find Nami, causing his stomach to twist and turn. He didn't bother to knock, all forms of etiquette lost on the swordsman as it hit the wall with a loud bang. The eerie quiet was the first thing to strike Zoro, there was no sign of Nami. There was no sign of anyone for that matter. With one hand on the hilt of his sword he slowly stepped further into the room, all senses alert. For a moment he almost thought he had made a wrong turn somewhere and had ended up at the wrong place after all until he saw a piece of striped fabric peeking through the crack of one of the doors. He picked up the piece of fabric that had been split in two and his stomach twisted again as he struggled not to vomit. It was Nami's shirt, torn in half and bloodstained. Now death wasn't the only scenario running through Zoro's mind. With one giant step he pushed the door open and stepped inside, only to feel his stomach drop into his feet. Shackled to a wall was his navigator. She was in her undergarments and one of her bra straps was broken, blood trickled down between her breasts and onto her stomach and her mouth was gagged as she stared at him with fear and humiliation. Without a second thought he was by her side, kneeling to remove her gag and begin to work at the shackles. As soon as the gag was out she spoke

"Zoro" she said, the tone in her voice urgent. As he looked at the woman he noticed her eyes were trained on something behind him, Zoro cursed at himself for getting so distracted as he pulled out his swords, pivoting just in time to stop the oncoming blade that would have sunk into his skull had it not been for Nami. Behind him stood a tall pale man with a manic grin on his face as he laughed,

"For a second there I thought you wouldn't put up a fight!" He cackled, Zoro set his mouth in a firm line as he rose to meet his opponent.

"What do you want with me" he growled, a sound that would normally be bone chilling. However his assailant just laughed again as if Zoro he just told the funniest joke he'd ever heard

"Someone wants you dead, what else?" He snickered

"Why bring Nami into this" he asked, trying to lure the man away from Nami so she wouldn't be caught in the middle of clashing blades.

"Who, the woman? It makes this little game just a bit more interesting" he begins "the game just isn't any fun without a bargaining chip now is it?"

"She is not a bargaining chip" Zoro growled, readying his swords

"Well that's not really yours to decide now is it? So here's he deal. You win and our pretty little kitten here gets to go home with you. If I win I get to do what I want with her, she would make a pretty penny don't you think?" The assassin teased

That did it for Zoro "what I think, is that your a dead man!" He snarled as he leapt forwards with his blade, the sound of steel on steel clashing bounced off the walls as the fight broke out. Zoro was livid, with every hit he administered a vivid image of the terrified look on the navigators face burned its way further into his mind. He wasn't sure how long the fight took, the testosterone crackled in the air between the two men locked in combat as a blade sliced through the air and the swordsman fell.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: warning! This chapter contains coarse language and non consensual sexual themes (not super detailed or hardcore but I thought I'd warn you)**

Nami couldn't believe it. Never in a million years would she have imagined Zoro losing a fight, and never in a million years could she imagine herself being thrown into a brothel. But both had happened, and the frightened girl had to deal with the consequences. Her heart was beating a million miles a minute and she was trying not to panic as she scoured the small room for an exit. The room was painted an obnoxious red and the satin bedspread had odd stains on it that Nami didn't even want to begin guessing. There was a small table by the bed with a vase filled with a few roses and a window right above that with bars firmly attached to them. The man who had defeated Zoro had taken her here immediately after the fight, living up to his word. Nami wanted to cry, when she was taken from the apartment Zoro had a large bloodstain on his chest and it wouldn't surprise the girl if he was dead or dying at this very second. When she was brought into the brothel an ugly old man had taken some pictures of her and she had been escorted to the room she was currently held captive in, being told nothing more than to wait until her client arrived. Nami shook the bars on the window frantically, her breath short as she tried to calm herself. Contrary to popular belief the navigator was a virgin, she had never had the time to seek out such endeavors while she was working for Arlong. She didn't want this, she wanted her first time to be with a man she loved, a man she trusted and a man that respected her. None of those things seemed to be happening at the moment. The woman didn't have any more time to reflect on her current situation, for at that moment the heavy metal door opened to reveal a heavyset greasy looking man that made Nami's stomach turn. He sneered at her as the door closed and began to advance

"Well hello there sweetheart. Ain't you a pretty thing." He chuckled as he made a swipe for her, she dodged his arm just in time as she started to back up

"Now don't be like that" the greasy man frowned as he tried again only to have the young girl reject his advances. Nami's voice didn't seem to want to work as she tried her best to scream, tell him to go away, anything that would save her virtue.

"Come on honey, I paid some good money to get in here. Now give ol' Lucas what he came for" he tried again. When the young woman violently shook her head he made a lunge. Nami held out her hands to block herself, but Lucas all but tackled her onto the bed, pinning her down with his body. The foul stench of his breath was in her face as he began his threat

"I tried to be nice. But now it seems like you and I are going to have to do this the hard way"

Nami's heart was racing and she let out a fearful whimper against her own will. Lucas pressed his grubby lips to hers and she fought not to gag as she bit down hard on his invading tongue. With a roar of pain he grasped the redhead by the neck and lifted her off of the bed to slam her back down again, cutting off her oxygen supply. He forcibly kissed her again as he tore at her clothes, removing her ripped shirt and skirt as he continued to choke her. His hands wandered over her breasts and dipped down below her panties to roughly grope her. Nami tried not to sob as black specs invaded her vision, she knew if she didn't do something soon it would all be over. With one of his hands around her neck and the other violating her body her hands had been left free. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the flower vase sitting on the table right next to the bed, she stretched her fingers out desperately trying to reach it before her vision went black. With a slight fumble she grasped the neck of the vase and with as much strength as she could muster she brought it down on Lucas's head as he busied himself with her body. He didn't even have time to yell before the vase shattered on his head and he slumped over on top of the navigator, unconscious. Nami hurriedly shoved him off of her and gasped for air as her throat was released, she has absolutely no doubt there would be a bruise there. She stumbled as far away as she could get from the unconscious man, still gripping some broken glass from the vase in her bloody hand as she crouched down in the corner and hugged herself tight as she began to softly sob.

...…

Zoro blinked as he returned to consciousness, a bright light was shining in his face. He blinked again as he took in his surroundings, there was a bandage on his chest and he seemed to be laying in the ships sick bay. His memory slowly began to clear as he sat up, the fight, Nami. NAMI! Zoro all but fell out of bed as he grasped his swords that had been propped up against the wall and hobbled as fast as he could down the hall. When he got on deck he was greeted by a very angry reindeer

"Zoro!" Chopper exclaimed "what are you doing out of bed! You suffered quite the injury! Your lucky Robin found you before you bled out!" He scolded

Zoro ignored him

"Is Nami here?" He urgently asked

"No...we haven't seen her since yesterday" Robin responded, her brow creased in worry.

"Shit. Shit shit shit. I have to help her." The swordsman grumbled in distress as he began to walk towards the dock

"Woah! Hold on Zoro, what happened to Nami?" Usopp asked, placing a hand in front of the large man

"Some man used her as bait to get to me, he had her as a hostage. I lost the fight and now I don't know where she is" Zoro summarized, leaving out details like the state he found her in and the comments the mystery assaulter had made regarding his orange haired crew mate. There wasn't even a moments hesitation before the straw hats were in motion. As various weapons were gathered and angry words filled the air Zoro made his way to the dock once more. Until a rubber arm stopped him.

"Zoro, Sanji, stay on the ship. We will find Nami" he said in an uncommonly serious tone from under the shade of his hat. Loud protests were heard from both men

"Why the hell am I staying here-!" "I need to look for my fair princess!"

"Enough" their captain said firmly "Zoro is in no state to be running around and someone needs to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Ignoring both men's continued protests he followed the rest of the crew off the ship. The swordsman and the cook sat in silence for almost ten minutes before Sanji broke the silence.

"Listen up shitty swordsman, I'm only going to ask you this once; do you know where Nami is?" He growled

"The hell! If I knew I wouldn't be sitting here!" The green haired man snarled back. The cook sighed deeply before he turned around.

"I'm only doing this for Nami-swan. Don't expect my gesture of kindness to be a regular thing. We need every man we can looking for her. Get the hell off this ship and don't come back unless she's with you." Sanji said lowly "I'll just say you sneaked by me. Although that's a lie if you ever told one, with your shitty sneaking skills"

Ignoring the quip, Zoro immediately strode off the ship, only glancing back once to see the back of the cooks jacket facing him.

I'm coming Nami


	5. Chapter 5

The next night wasn't much better for Nami. She had expected to receive some sort of punishment for her actions so she was surprised when she was left alone for the entire day. The confusion was cleared however, when a large burly looking man entered the room that night. This was her punishment. The sinking feeling of dread settled over Nami once more as she realized she probably wouldn't be able to get out of this one. To her shock he didn't carry out the deed, but he didn't exactly leave her feeling clean and innocent either. She once again was huddled in the corned with a tear streaked face. Maybe she deserved it. Maybe this was karma for all the ways she had used all those people she stole from, the way she had used her friends. What good was she on a crew like the Straw Hat Pirates if she couldn't even defend herself from one man. She was trapped. These poisonous thoughts ran through her head like a never ending train track as she scurried into the adjoining bathroom in her room, ignoring the man fast asleep on her bed. As soon as she was inside she locked the door and gripped the corner of the sink. She peered at herself and with a flash of rage she let out a strangled scream and threw her fist into the mirror, shattering it into dozens of jagged pieces. She gulped for air in between her fits of hysteria as she gripped some shards of broken glass and threw them into the wall. She was furious, furious with herself for being so stupid, furious with the mysterious man who had gotten her into this mess, furious with Lucas and furious with the brothel, and finally her rage landed on the man fast asleep on her grimy mattress that sneered as he explored her body, never crossing the boundary that would break her but keeping her in terrified suspense. She was furious that he'd put bruises on her body, the finger shaped bruises on her arms legs and hips along with the disgusting residue from his lips and mouth seeming to stand out on her body. Ignoring the sharp bleeding pain in her hands she threw the bathroom door open and with a cry of rage, advanced on the stirring brute in front of her and raising the long shard of glass above her head before shoving it into his chest.

...

Zoro kept his word and had yet to return to the ship. He wouldn't, he decided, without the feisty navigator. He sighed in frustration for what felt like the millionth time as he reached yet another dead end in his leads on Nami. The guilt ebbed away at him with every passing hour, the exhaustion not helping either. Deciding he wouldn't be much good to Nami a tired mess he pushed his way into the nearest bar he could find. It was a sleazy little place, in every corner a scantily clad woman was sitting on a mans lap and dozens more were roaming the floor. Brushing off two blondes he took a seat at the bar, holding up a finger to the bartender as he nodded and began to fill Zoro a mug when a discussion that two women were having caught Zoro's attention

"Did you hear about the new girl?" One gossiped

"The one with red hair? Boss says she's some sort of pirate. Ransomed off or something." The other said back

"Yeah that's the one! She actually KILLED her client last night!"

"What!? I mean its not like any of us had particularly gentle first nights, but to kill someone!"

"Right!? I heard she was a virgin when she was brought in. Surprising too. I thought for sure the guy who brought her in was her captain or something, I was certain he'd Ripken her in. Aren't women supposed to be bad luck on a ship? Maybe that's it."

"I don't know, he didn't seem too attached to her. What was her name again?"

"I don't remember, Naomi or something-"

Zoro's bar stool screeched backwards as he bolted up, surprising the two women

"Can I help you honey?" One of the women sporting obviously fake red curls asked him with a pout

"Who do I speak to about...uh...booking a girl" he asked, struggling to find the words. It felt odd to be purchasing a woman but he would never forgive himself if it ended up being Nami and he just walked on by.

"Oh he's right over there" the other woman, a blonde, pointed at a booth "and might I just say I'm free all night tiger" she winked. Zoro ignored her as he bee lined for a pudgy man with a combover and a shiny face sitting in a booth with women hanging all over him.

"Excuse me, I'm looking for some...uh...entertainment I guess you could say" Zoro began, having no idea what he should sound like. Apparently he was convincing enough because combover let out a chuckle and motioned for him to sit down.

"Certainly my good boy! May I make some suggestions? Perhaps Monica here?" He asked, gesturing to a busty brunette hanging off his arm. Zoro was a bit unsettled at the blatant advertising of the women but he pushed on.

"Umm...no. Uh, do you maybe have anyone new? Redhead?" He coaxed. Combover frowned.

"We have one, but she might be a little too difficult-"

"It doesn't matter I will pay whatever it takes." Zoro blurted out, hoping he didn't sound too frantic. Combover looked at him for a moment before demanding a price the would make Nami fall over dead where she stood. Zoro forked over the money as combover got up and started to lead him to one of the many rooms. Zoro was beyond anxious, he couldn't decide if he wanted desperately for it to be her -at least he would know she was alive- or if he wanted desperately for it to be anyone but her -he didn't even want to think about what the girls from earlier were talking about-. But he didn't have much time to contemplate as combover stopped by a room.

"Don't say I didn't warn 'ya" he said before turning around to return to the bustling bar. With a deep breath Zoro pushed the door open.

...

It had only been two days but Zoro felt like it was a lifetime since he'd seen he. His relief was short lived as he took in her appearance. She was dressed in a short black lace nightgown that in any other situation might have looked sexy. One of the straps had snapped and it hung off one shoulder precariously, she had finger shaped bruises on her arms and thighs, her hands were crusted with blood and her eyes had dark bags around them. She turned towards him with a fear stricken look in her eyes, Zoro couldn't decide if he was livid or if he was sick. She opened her mouth but no words came out for a long moment before she spoke,

"Zoro?"


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: AHHHHHH I AM SO SORRY IT HAS BEEN FOREVER AND I AM A TERRIBLE PERSON THE END. **

**here is the reunion scene and some Zoro/Nami angst.**

Zoro was still trying to calm the rapid beating of his heart and the twisting of his gut as the redhead launched herself at him. She wrapped her arms tight around his torso and squeezed as hard as she could, burying her face in his shirt. His arms automatically came up around her shoulders and gave a gentle hug back but his mind was elsewhere

Two days

It had only been two days and already it looked as if Nami had been tortured. He couldn't stop staring at the ghastly looking bruises and dries up cuts around her neck. He could see littered glass around the room and a broken vase in the corner. He broke out of his state of shock as Nami tugged at his arm

"Please, let's get out of here" she quietly pleaded. He nodded, not trusting his voice at the moment. Without hesitation he walked over to the barred windows and gripped hard at the metal before pulling until his muscles strained and the bars groaned as they bent. As two of them came loose he tossed one aside and used the other to smash a hole through the glass, quickly grabbing Nami's waist (trying his best to ignore her pained flinch) and lifted her through the opening before joining her. He knew they wouldn't have much time before someone decided to investigate the loud noise and check up on them. They disappeared together into the night as she hurried to keep up with his long strides. Nami was growing worried at her companion's silence, sure Zoro wasn't the most talkative guy but her stomach started to sink when he refused to look at her. Maybe he thought she was disgusting, he wouldn't be wrong. In the span of two days she had been beaten, violated, barely hung onto her virginity and killed a man. She felt tears well up in her eyes but pushed them back down, refusing to cry in front of Zoro. As she saw the sails of the ship come into view she stopped in her tracks

"Zoro-" she began

"What's wrong, are you hurt?" Zoro interrupted, the first thing he had said to her this entire time. His eyes scanned her quickly but unlike with the men she had encountered the past two nights she didn't feel the need to hide from his gaze.

"No I just...listen could you maybe not mention where you found me to the crew?" She asked, trying desperately to get him to look at her. She could see him prepare to argue with her as he stared at the ground so she continued

"Nothing happened that Chopper needs to know about okay, I just need a couple bandages. I just don't want the crew to know exactly what happened. It's unnecessary information" she pushed. Zoro stood quietly for a moment before meeting her gaze for the first time

"Nothing...happened?" He repeated, a glimmer of what looked like hope in his eyes.

"I'm still a virgin if that's what you are asking" she said, blushing hard as she avoided his gaze. Zoro took a moment to process all this information as he let out a resigned sigh.

"I won't tell them, you have my word...but I think you should" he confirmed as she noticeably relaxed. He turned and started to walk again, hearing her footsteps behind him.

...

The second they got on the ship they got swarmed

"Nami!"

"My fair princess! Are you alright?"

"Oh my gosh what happened!"

"What are you wearing?"

"Zoro you weren't supposed to leave the ship Baka!"

Everyone quieted down as Zoro spoke up, Nami looking at him cautiously

"I needed a drink so I snuck past curly eyebrow and I found Nami walking down the street on my way back"

Nami sent him a subtle look of thanks before speaking her turn

"I got away from the bounty hunter, this is what I was wearing under my clothes before and I'm fine I just need a few bandages and I can fix myself right up"

Chopper scurried into action as the rest of the crew mobbed Nami with hugs and questions. Zoro escaped up to the crows nest as he tried to ignore the dishonest and sick feeling in his stomach. No one seemed to notice his departure except for a certain blonde cook who broke away from the crowd to follow him.


End file.
